Alumni Notes and Musings – Fall 2015

[Editor’s note: These updates appeared in the Fall 2015 issue of Explorations, the magazine for alumni, donors, and friends.]

Bill Suter AG’43 has traveled much of the globe and enjoys gardening, birding, and volunteering at a local library. As to his gardening, tomatoes and strawberries top the list, according to class correspondent J. Domer Zerbe Jr. RC’43.

Sam Freiberg AG’48, GSNB’51 has celebrated both his 90th birthday and his 65th wedding anniversary. He has moved to an assisted living facility in Maryland and still stays active, reports Class of 1948 correspondent Bart Klion RC ’48.

Hank Hohenstein AG’53 and wife, Susan, have packed up and moved to Oregon as they grew “tired of the congestion and politics in California.” They are both healthy and stay active in mission work, both here and in Central Asia. Hank invites any fellow classmates en route to Crater Lake National Park to stop by his home in Shady Cove. Norbert Pendergast AG’53, his wife, Pat, and their son, Glenn, have closed down and sold Willow Run Nursery and Garden Center. The business, located in Cresskill, NJ, was in the Pendergast family for three generations.

Lester Brown AG’55 announced that he has decided to step down as president of the Earth Policy Institute (EPI), the think tank he founded, and end its work as of July 1, 2015. The Lester R. Brown Reading Room has been established in Martin Hall on the G.H. Cook Campus, housing the original English-language editions of his books as well as some 600 foreign language editions. Rutgers will also take over the hosting of EPI’s website, earth-policy.org, and maintain it as an archive.

Many alumni from the Class of 1964 went to the Quick Lane bowl game in Detroit last December, including John Petronko AG’64. They watched the Scarlet Knights easily defeat the University of North Carolina and agreed that Rutgers exceeded expectations in our first year in the Big Ten, reports Class of 1964 correspondent Mark N. Busch RC’64. The Class of 1964 also supported with donations the new Honors College, which opened this fall on the College Avenue Campus. In response to the class’ generosity, the coffee shop in the Honors College will be named the Class of 1964 Coffee Bar.

Doug Campbell AG’65 retired as a colonel after 28 years of active service in the U.S. Army. He is now spending his free time on his 1790 Pennsylvania farm house and property. This news comes to us from Class of 1965 correspondent Chuck Hennings RC’65.

Rick Stier AG’74 and Class of 1974 correspondent is sad to report the passing of his father, Ted Stier ED’49, GSE’50. After his dad’s passing, Rick discovered a file documenting the history of how the Class of 1946 bought the cannon to Rutgers and the football stadium. The cannon, manned by students in Revolutionary War-style uniforms, is fired whenever Rutgers scores.

Heather Hoyns CC’77 celebrated 10 years of ownership of Evergreen Equine of Vermont in West Windsor, Vermont. Michael Schiffer CC’77 lives in Dana Point, California, where he is vice president and deputy general counsel for Beckman Coulter Inc. The news of Heather and Michael comes to us from Class of 1977 Correspondent Marcia Smith Fleres RC’77, RBS’93.

Currently, Phil Scarpa CC’83, RWJMS’88, is president of the Aerospace Medical Association. It is the premier organization in the world dedicated to promoting the health, safety and performance of those involved in air, space and undersea travel. Gail Seigel CC’83 is author of Academania: My Life in the Trenches of Biomedical Research, a memoir of her time as an undergraduate researcher at Rutgers.

Lynn Luczkowski CC’84 is celebrating the 10-year anniversary of L2 Communications, a public relations and marketing consulting group..

Jill Nappi CC’87 is director of business development at Rizco Design, a branding and interactive agency in Manasquan, New Jersey.

The votes are in and Frank Newman CC’89 is one of Springfield, Missouri’s Top Doctors of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery.

Denise Mattes CC’90 is a landscape architect in the parks department in New York City. She is working with a few other Rutgers alumni on the mayor’s community initiative program.

As a coordinating producer in studio production at ESPN, Francine Rotella CC’92 works on shows such as NFL Primetime, NFL Live, NFL Insiders, and SportsCenter.

Christopher Norton CC’95, ’96 joined the executive team of Defense Mobile Corporation, a new 4G wireless service provider available only to members of the military and veteran community. He is still serving in the U.S. Army Reserve and is active in veterans’ advocacy efforts.

Joselyn Mormile CC’08 will be attending the University of Cape Town in South Africa to begin her Ph.D. She completed her master of science degree in primate conservation at Oxford Brookes University in Oxford, England, and is a licensed veterinary technician.

Be sure to hold April 29 to May 1, 2016, for Alumni Weekend. The annual event will coincide with Rutgers Day/Ag Field Day on April 30, 2016, and promises to be the best ever as Rutgers celebrates its 250th anniversary, featuring the best work of our students, faculty and staff. It will mark the 50th anniversary of the Class of 1966, so plan to visit then.